Today's proposal is a start, both for Oxford and other cities around the world to launch their own bans on petrol vehicles.

The City and County Council will be holding a six-week consultation period with the public and businesses on how the plans will be implemented.

While off-road construction machinery has not yet been specifically mentioned, it is nearly certain to be brought into scope, given the stringency of what is being proposed for vehicles.

The zone will be gradually widened to include more streets and further vehicle types until 2035 when all emitting vehicles, including lorries, will be banned from the centre.

According to the city council, latest monitoring data has found that air pollution appears to have plateaued above the legal limits in some parts of the city.

According to the city council, Oxford city centre now has illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a leading cause of diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Taxis, cars, light commercial and buses will be restricted access to a small number of streets in 2020, before the 2035 ban of all vehicle types across the whole city centre.

John Tanner, Oxford city council cabinet member for environment, said: "Toxic and illegal air pollution in the city centre is damaging the health of Oxford's residents".

A proposal headed to the Oxford City Council has four stages that would culminate in a city free of vehicular emissions by 2035.

"All of us who drive or use petrol or diesel vehicles through Oxford are contributing to the city's toxic air. Everyone needs to do their bit, from the national government and local authorities to businesses and residents, to end this public health emergency".

This article was published on 12 Oct 2017 (last updated on 12 Oct 2017). "We know that the future is electric vehicles with no tailpipe emissions; this is the beginning of a revolution in bus travel". "However, zero emission bus and coach technology is still evolving so we will work with the City Council to identify the possible solutions for Oxford and the time frame in which they might be able to be deployed".

Does the Zero Emissions Zone make sense for Oxford city centre?

Oxfordshire County Council is also exploring demand management options for Oxford including a potential congestion charge and workplace parking levy.

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